Skybus CEO "Respects" Southwest

When Skybus announced it would fly into Gary, Indiana, locals had more than a sideways glance for the ultra-no-frills airline. After all, they'd seen a number of carriers--including Hooters Air--come and go over the years. So Skybus CEO Bill Diffenderffer had some 'splaining to do when the Times of Northwest Indiana called up to chat about the airline's future plans.

The Skybus chief tells reporter Keith Benman that while Gary-Chicago International hasn't had much success with commercial airlines lately, the congestion at bigger airports that's recently strangled domestic service is making smaller airports more attractive. Diffenderffer says everyone benefits from fewer delays and smaller terminals: The airlines can turn planes around quickly and passengers don't have all the parking, security and baggage hassles of, say, O'Hare.

And while another low fare carrier you may have heard of, Southwest, is also operating out of a secondary Chicago-area airport, Midway, Skybus doesn't see them as the competition, Diffenderffer says:

What you'll find is that we actually don't fly against Southwest. We try to not fly against Southwest, because we respect them too much. What we want to fly against are the connections on 50-seat airlines.